Improvised Free Time
by FantasyReverie
Summary: Selphie ruins a thing between Zell and the Librarian and tries to make up for it, but what is she to do? Quistis is having that 'misunderstood' feeling again. Seifer comes back to Balamb Garden, Rinoa helps him 'fit in' but falls in love again.
1. Silence and Motion

The nighttime darkness would be changing into bright daylight soon enough. The weather outside was very cold, freezing temperature, as the first snow of winter fell. Trees were now capped by the white flakes and the ground was covered with this sparkling blanket of snow, somewhat a foot or so deep.  
  
A young woman stood in the middle of a dorm room, watching the snow fall outside through a large window. She glanced at the bed in the room, the person who lay on it, covered with such a thick blanket, deep in their slumber. Smiling, the woman moved to the head of the bed and grabbed the alarm clock. after turning it off, she placed it back in it's original location, glancing down upon the face of the one who slept. He looked so precious in his sleep, his mouth opened slightly, letting out an almost inaudible snore.  
  
She kissed his cheek and he closed his mouth before his body rolled over to face the wall, completely on it's own. After running a hand through his soft hair, the woman walked away from his bed and to the door. As it opened, the pressure from the compressed air could be heard as it was released. She looked back into the dorm room at the man sleeping before taking off down the small corridor to her own dorm room.  
  
~*~  
  
In the center of the room, the ceiling fan was slowly turning its blades, forever in the same direction, circulating the air in the small room as it did so. The hum of the crickets slowly faded into the songs of the birds, as night became day and the darkness was chased away by the rising sun. It was peaceful inside the room; a soft snore could be heard, giving the room a melody of its own as Squall lay on his bed asleep. His head was buried in a soft pillow, his legs bent slightly toward his chest as he lay on his side, cuddled under a think blanket.  
  
As far as anyone knew, Squall was gone to the world at the moment. He had fallen asleep late the night before .....again. The Commander hadn't been getting enough sleep lately because of all the worries and thoughts that filled his head. As Commander of Balamb Garden, he must do anything in his power to keep the peace within the school and keep the occupants save and alive. This in itself was hard enough, but Squall couldn't help but take it a little too seriously when an old 'friend' had came back home. Before Seifer had returned, he had a few extra hours to sleep in if he chose to, but... how could anyone sleep if there was a traitor in the Garden?  
  
Dreams couldn't have disturbed his slumber at a more better time either. Squall's eyes slowly fluttered open as his dream of fighting monsters and whatnot had ended with his death. He stared at the wall, as he heard a faint sound of movement in his room. Rolling over, he could have shit in his pants at the sight he was witnessing. Selphie, the cheerful spirit that had no life yet was so damned full of it, was spinning around on Squall's office chair, making up words as she went along singing to a tune that she had heard on a Chocobo movie which she had watched recently. She was looking at the ceiling fan, spinning herself in the chair at the same slow speed of the air circulator, as she kept track of a single blade.  
  
*What in Hyne's name is she doing? ..much less, why is she in my room?* Squall looked at her as if the young one were crazy. He sat up on his bed, only to lean his back against the wall, still watching Selphie and waiting for an explanation. Selphie didn't notice a single one of his movements, she was occupied with the blade spinning around, and around, and around...   
  
"Ahem.." Squall cleared his throat. As if it were a signal, Selphie snapped out of her entranced state and looked over to Squall, still spinning around in the chair as she stopped pushing off the desk, letting her last push spin her for but a moment longer. Coming to a stop, she faced Squall and stretched her legs, relieving them of the pressure they had while being bent toward her chest, and placed her feet on the floor below her. Squall didn't seem angry or upset, but when did he ever show emotion in front of her, or anyone else for that matter?  
  
"Heeey, I was starting to worry. It's not like to just sleep in." She chirped. "Cid was a little worried too, so he gave me the go ahead to check and see if you were okay. Rinoa let me in with that..." Selphie paused to emphasize by holding up her hands and making quote marks as she said her next word, "...'emergency' keycard she has to your room." She dropped her hands, placing them in her lap once more and waited for a reply. The words could have slurred together if Selphie didn't take the small amount of time to pronounce each syllable, as she spoke with haste. This was natural for her, of course. Spunky, with a lot to say about little or nothing, the thought of having only one minute to get it all out kept her speaking quickly.  
  
"........" Squall was silent, as it took a few minutes to replay the words that had apparently been cramped up in Selphie's mouth. *No sense in worrying.. I slept in? What does she mean? My alarm clock hasn't even went off yet.. It's still earl-* His thoughts stopped as his eyes met with the glowing green light of his digital clock. "12:23?!" Squall jumped up from his bed and ran toward the small bathroom inside his dorm room. He stopped as soon as he reached the door frame, turning around to look at Selphie who had suddenly burst into giggles.  
  
"Out." He stated simply as he narrowed his eyes at her. His voice was always cold, mean and hateful... save for the few times he spent a small portion of his day with Rinoa.  
  
"Yes, Commander Leonhart, Sir!" Selphie stood, ignoring his tone of voice like she always had. Her laughing halted for the moment as she gave him a half-assed SeeD salute and continued toward the door.  
  
"...Whatever." he bit back at the smartass remark she had made before turning to look at himself in the mirror that hung on the bathroom wall.  
  
"It's your day off, stud." Selphie has taken a liking to that nickname she had given him and used it quite often whenever he was the perfect prey for teasing. "Headmaster Cid and Matron will take care of Garden for the day. ...There really isn't much happening. So they can handle it. After all, they are adults. It's their duty to protect the children." She paused and stared at the door in front of her before continuing with what she had to say, "We may not be children anymore, but we are still not adults." She smiled, pushing the red button on the door panel to open the door. Selphie made her exit, not giving Squall a chance to reply and took off down the dormitory corridor.  
  
Squall stood there, leaning over his bathroom sink, his hands on the counter's edge as he shifted all his weight forward and onto his arms. His head was lowered as he listened to the girl at his door and took in what she had said. *Day off? What am I supposed to do? There isn't much to do but sleep.. but I've had enough of that. Might as well go to the Training Center and kill a few Grats or something...* His eyes were closed as he lifted his head, but opened them as he stood up straight and looked into the mirror once more. *I'd take a shower, but my hair looks okay today and-*  
  
He blinked and tilted his head a little at the sight of his computer screen reflected on the mirror. He turned around to look at it. The screen saver that Selphie had made for him was on. He didn't agree to it, but she managed to get on his computer one day and fix it up to where the backgrounds and fonts were colourful and the screen saver was on the Marquee style with the text saying, "Squally loves Rinny!!! -Booyaka!" The Commander shook his head as he walked over to his desk and shook the mouse.  
  
"Damn thing. She should just leave my stuff alone. I don't mess with her things.." He couldn't help but laugh at the desktop picture on his computer. It was a picture of Zell, Selphie and Quistis from the party that had been held after the defeat of Ultimecia. His face was stuffed with hot-dogs and he looked so pitiful as the two girls beat on his back, apparently trying to free him of the evil food that was choking him. Squall closed his eyes a shook his head, as he lifted his left hand and ran his fingers through his hair.   
  
Wanting to check his e-mail for once, he moved his mouse to hover the arrow over the BOL -Balamb Online- icon and double clicked it. Again, this was one of Selphie's great ideas. Squall himself could have cared less to have a form of communication on his personal computer, but after a while, he kind of liked it and figured it wouldn't hurt to have it there. He went to sit down in his chair, but stopped himself, remembering that Selphie had moved it half way across the room to watch the ceiling fan. He located the chair before walking to it and grabbing it.  
  
Sliding it across the floor and over to his desk, a knock was heard on his door. Squall had placed the chair in its proper location before turning to walk to the door. He looked through the peep hole, but saw nothing. Figuring no one was there, and that it must have been a person playing a practical joke by running around and banging on everyone's door, he turned away before hearing another knock. This time, he turned to the door and pressed the button on the door panel for it to open. A seemingly angry Quistis stood before him.  
  
"Yeah?" Squall crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight to his left side.  
  
"Yeah what?" Quistis raised a brow at his question before taking a glance at his attire. "Why are you still in your night clothing? Just because you have a day off, doesn't mean you get to stay in your room all day. We, being your friends, still have stuff we want you to do. You know, hang out and have fun." She paused, thinking that what she said wouldn't persuade him to come out of his room since he had given her an odd look as the words came out. "Well, your thinking gets the best of you sometimes and we don't want you to turn into a-"  
  
"Psychopath?" Squall finished her sentence, much like she did to him many times before. Standing up straight, he shook his head at the instructor before answering her question. "I just woke up. I'll be down in the cafeteria for food." *..Later on anyway*, he added in his thoughts.  
  
"...Something like that." Quistis nodded as she turned away, but stopped herself to look at Squall once more. She gave him a stern look before making her next statement. "You'll come down to the cafeteria to get food as soon as you get dressed. For Hyne's sake, it's in the middle of the afternoon Squall! Get dressed now." The smile on her face could have been taken in by someone in many different ways. To Squall, she looked like she had been caught by Selphie and brainwashed into teasing him.  
  
Quistis let his thoughts linger about inside his head before she took off down the hallway in the same direction Selphie had taken earlier. Squall only turned to face his room, stepping off the door mat, allowing the door to close behind him. *Has she studied me like I was a book or something?* He sighed, as his thoughts went on. *She can read me like a book.*   
  
He stood in the middle of his single dorm room that he had acquired the day he became a SeeD, and looked out the window for the first time that morning. It was still snowing outside. *Are we near Trabia?* Squall walked to the window and looked outside, only to see that they were. *Strange... why?* He shook his head, and backed away from the window, not really caring why. It wasn't his responsibility for the day. Moving toward his bed, he sat down and lowered his head to place it in his hands that were propped up on his knees by his elbows. *Maybe I should go down and meet up with everyone...* 


	2. Shuffle or Boogie

Sleeping lion... Squall ended up taking a shower and going right back to his bed. He had no intentions on leaving his room that day. So clothing wasn't a must, but he managed to pull a pair of his gray boxers out and put them on before actually crawling into bed and falling asleep once more. He didn't plan on getting up for a long while.  
  
~*~  
  
Soft knocking... A couple of knocks could be heard on Squall Leonhart's dormitory room door, but only by those who were willing to hear them. Mr. Leonhart, of course, was asleep, so he could not hear them. A moment later, a few more knocks were heard, only they were a tad bit more forceful than the one's before. Again, the knocks were not heard by the sleeping man. After no response from the room, the person on the other side of the door began banging as hard as physically possible on the door. This caused neighbors to peek heads out of their own doors in the direction of this firmly demanding escapade someone was having.  
  
Almost jumping out of his skin, Squall aroused and stood in the middle of his room. He didn't know what to think since he was half-dazed and half-confused from just waking up. Finally realizing what was going on, Squall listened as the banging stopped and a few shouts were exchanged outside his room. He couldn't quite make out what had been said, but who could when they only had a few second to conceal their body?  
  
Soon enough, Squall sensed the door would open. Wondering why it was so cold, he looked at himself and realized that he had on nothing but a pair of boxers. Acting fast and with no time to waste, Squall grabbed the loose comforter off his bed and spun around in one place, wrapping himself up in the thick blanket, and fell to the floor.  
  
The exact moment he sat down on the cold tile floor, his door opened and revealed a hyperactive Selphie and a somewhat irritated Rinoa.  
  
"Squall! You look SO MUCH like a turtle like that!" Selphie was quick to point out the green colour of the blanket and how Squall covered himself with it from the nose and down. Skipping into the room, Selphie was as cheerful as ever. Once Rinoa stepped inside, the room could have froze over. It's a good thing Selphie was in there to give off her radiant energy. Walking over to Squall, Rinoa kept a stern expression on her face, as if Quistis had taken her over. Upon reaching him, she kneeled down and stared at him. He stared back at her, not really knowing what to do.  
  
Rinoa started giggling for no reason at all and Selphie quickly joined her. Soon enough, the room was filled with laughter from the two girls. Squall looked away from Rinoa, suddenly taking interest in his floor, since he was a little annoyed now that three girls had come into his room and laughed at him for something he considered absolutely ridiculous.  
  
"What?" Squall's voice could have been rude and harsh, but his mouth was covered by his blanket, which muffled his voice. "Why is it that you girls insist on pestering me when I have a day off?"  
  
Rinoa and Selphie cleared their throats, stopping their laughter. Squall looked back and forth between the two. Looking at Selphie, he narrowed his eyes at her. She only blinked and tilted her head.  
  
"Yes?" Selphie spoke.  
  
"Out." Squall retorted, his voice still muffled.  
  
"Out?" Selphie wondered what he was talking about. "Out where? Out there?" She pointed to the large window. "Yes? It's snowing and it's getting pretty late, you should ge-"  
  
"Out of the room! You! Go away, Selphie." Squall yelled the words, yet they were *still* muffled. Selphie stared at him for a moment, but turned away, toward the door, an instant later. She didn't let mean things get under her skin, so she exited the way she entered. No sooner has she skipped out of the room, silence fell upon the ones inside it and Rinoa seemed to want Selphie back inside the room to make it go away.  
  
"It was only a joke, Squall." Rinoa sat down on the floor, accidentally bumping into the gunblade case and tipping it over. She tensed up when she listened to the loud bang as it hit the tile floor behind her, but didn't look away from Squall. He merely looked over at the case that now lay on the floor. It's a good thing that cases are meant to protect the contents. He gave Rinoa a short glance before turning away and letting out a sigh. Squall leaned to his right, tipping himself over to lay down on the floor, still covered by his protective blanket. Rinoa giggled at this sight, knowing he was kidding around and since it was a rare sight. She crawled over to him and lay down on the floor, facing him. Lifting a hand, she started to play with his hair.  
  
Squall was smiling, but Rinoa couldn't see, since his mouth was still covered by the blanket. Before she knew it, Squall had opened up his blanket and pulled her inside his protective little world, only to tickle her like there was no tomorrow. The two had grown closer, sharing a lot of emotions and memories, but Squall still had said nothing along the lines of 'I love you,' and neither had Rinoa. Everyone figured they were dating, even if Squall never really asked her to be his girlfriend. Every chance she got, Rinoa was at his side. Every chance Squall got, he was at hers. They were simply meant for each other. But why wouldn't they say it?  
  
Rinoa couldn't help but laugh hysterically, but she was being too loud, and if anyone knew she was in his dorm room alone with him, he could get into a lot of trouble. Squall stopped the tickling and covered Rinoa's mouth.  
  
"Shhh..." With his free hand, Squall held the extended index finger up to his lips a moment, before smiling and pulling both hands back to himself and leaning forward. He kissed her lips softly, feeling the warmth of her cheeks touch his, before pulling away and laying down on his back as Rinoa did the same. For the next few minutes, the two lay there, motionless, staring toward the ceiling they could not see, since the blanket was over their faces. Rinoa blinked and took action by grabbing hold of the blanket and snatching it away from Squall as she stood. Squall sat up and looked at her like she was crazy.  
  
"Give that back this instant, Ms. Heartilly. It's freezing cold." Squall just... sat there. Freezing, because his protective blanket of warmth was stolen from him so suddenly. Rinoa, by now, had rolled the blanket into a ball and was looking down at him.  
  
"I know it is. It's snowing outside... or it was earlier. .....If you'd just put some clothes on, you wouldn't be so cold!" Rinoa laughed as Squall stood. She had only just realized he was wearing only boxers when she spoke. Squall walked to her and snatched the blanket away from her.  
  
"Hey! Why are you being so mean?" Rinoa continued with her laughing. Squall merely shrugged and looked at the blanket. Upon unraveling the blanket, he planned to wrap himself in it again, but Rinoa had halted his actions as her laughter stopped. He looked over at her, only to catch a smiling glance before she had wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Squall smiled and wrapped her up in the blanket with him. The moment lasted only a second before Rinoa spoke.  
  
"Squall?" Her voice was muffled, as she spoke, but loud enough to hear a mile away. "When was the last time you took a shower?" She pulled back from him and looked him in eyes. Apparently, someone was listening to them, for on the other side of his door, three females broke into laughter.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Selphie, Quistis and Naomi stood in one of the dormitory hallways. They had been whispering to each other about the conversation being held on the other side of the door they were standing in front of. Quistis was the first to comment on the 'when was the last time you took a shower?' statement.  
  
"Hyne! I thought she was going to tell him she loved him. I suppose I shouldn't give my hopes up though." The three young women giggled all at once, but stopped when they realized the room behind the door had fallen silent. They looked at each other and inched their ears toward the door.  
  
Nothing. They couldn't hear a thing. Quistis, ready to leave, stood up straight since she realized their fun was over and turned around to see Irvine, standing as close as physically possible to her. Naturally, when one is caught off guard or startled, it makes them shriek or scream. That is exactly what she did. This reaction caused another, making the other two girls jump forward and hit their foreheads on the door in which they had their faces so close to.  
  
Selphie and Naomi sat down on the door mat and rubbed their pounding foreheads. Quistis, having gathered her composure, narrowed her eyes at the gunman and hit his arms playfully. Irvine laughed, not paying attention to the light taps Quistis was giving him. Smiling, he looked at all three of the ladies before him. How could he manage all of them at the same time? Shaking his head, Irvine held out his hands to Selphie and Naomi, helping them to their feet. He gave a glance to the numbers on the dormitory door.  
  
"Oh!" Irvine realized who it was they had been 'spying' on and jumped to the door, putting his face right up against it. "Did I miss anything?" He tried his hardest to look through the peek hole and into the room, but he had no luck. Quistis, Selphie and Naomi stood off to the side, giggling as they watched Irvine and *his* escapade.  
  
Squall, a rather angry Squall at that, stood at his side of the door, looking through the peek hole himself. Although he couldn't see who it was, he knew it was Irvine Kinneas by the loud voice... and the fact that a very large blue-green eye was blocking his usual view of the hallway. He rolled his eyes and hit the little panel next to his door. The door opened and the six of them stood, staring at one another. Selphie couldn't do anything but help herself to her comment.  
  
"Turtle! See?" Selphie started laughing and Irvine joined his best friend with the same cheerful tone.  
  
"He does look like a turtle wrapped in that blanket." Irvine spoke the words between his laughs. Quistis, Naomi, and even Rinoa, began giggling at Selphie and Irvine's comments.  
  
"Ugh!" Squall released the irritated noise and walked behind Rinoa. "Out." He spoke and pushed her out of the room. This caused Rinoa to laugh even more before turning around and hugging Squall.  
  
"Please come down and see us before the day is over." Rinoa had halted her giggles while speaking to him, but as soon as she was finished, they came back. Squall rolled his eyes as she kissed him on his cheek before walking to the other girls.  
  
"Oh... a light kiss on the cheek to top off what fun the two of you had. What fun indeed." Of course, Irvine had to put his perverted two cents in, but Squall ignored it and the girls were already walking down the hall. As soon as Squall's door had shut, Irvine departed and pursued the girls down the hallway.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Zell was passing by Squall's dorm room, his T-board in his arms, as he was humming the catchy tune that they played throughout Garden during the day. He made up lyrics for it in his head as he made his way down the corridor. He had only stepped a few feet down the hall when one of the dorm room doors had opened behind him. Being that he had just passed Squall's door, he turned around, expecting to see him, but there was no one there and all the doors were shut. Kinda creepy...  
  
"...Okay." Zell spoke to himself as he turned around to go on about his way. Fully turned back in the direction he was headed in the first place, Squall stood in front of him, which had startled Zell. This, in reaction, caused Zell to drop his T-board and freak out. "Man! You just like to sca- sneak around a lot, don't you? Raising a brow at the silent guy in front of him, Zell picked up his T-board. *Is he crazy or what?*  
  
"Have you seen the others today?" Squall spoke, without answering Zell's question, feeling it wasn't necessary to do so. He motioned for Zell to walk with him, toward the main dormitory hallway, as he started off.  
  
"Nope. I just woke up... It's almost eight o'clock, I know, but I just HAD to get that new Gameboy Advanced game yesterday. You know, the one that looks like a lap top or somethin'? Anyway, I got this awesome game to go with it and I ended up staying up all night playing it and--" Zell stopped talking when he heard Squall chuckle. "Why... are you just now coming out of your room?" Squall stopped mid-step as Zell asked the question. Zell stopped as well and turned to face him.  
  
"Today is my day off."  
  
"Don't you usually hide in your room all the time when you have a day off?" Squall started walking again and Zell followed, eventually walking at his side.  
  
"I guess." Squall replied.  
  
"Something happen?" Zell asked, looking around the corridor as they turned down the main dormitory hallway that would take them to the circulatory hallway.  
  
"No."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
"Are you hungry?" Squall turned his head to look at Zell as he walked.  
  
"Always." Zell flashed a huge grin as soon as the word was out of his mouth.  
  
"Good. I'm going to Balamb to eat there. Want to come along?"  
  
"Aren't you supposed to ask Rinoa out on a date?" Zell raised a brow, suddenly feeling confused as to why his 'antisocial' friend wants to take him somewhere.  
  
"It's not a date, Zell. ...And Rinoa and I are not dating, so there would be no reason to take her out on one." Squall stopped talking to think about what he had just said. *Rinoa means a lot to me... but it's just so very hard to say something like that... It's so much that it gives me a pain in my stomach just to think about it. I do love her, but no--* Zell was waving his hand in front of Squall's face to get his attention, for he had totally zoned out. Blinking, Squall pushed away Zell's hand and continued with what he was going to say before he mentioned Rinoa. "Just eating something other than hot-dogs and burgers."  
  
"Better be." Zell straightened up as they reached the circular hallway. Squall glanced over at Zell as they passed the Cafeteria hallway. He was still walking with him. So he was going to tag along. This is a good thing. *Hyne... why am I getting into this matchmaking game with the girls? They can be so silly at times.*  
  
"I happened to come across a... some time of magazine in Doctor Kadowaki's office the other day. There are supposed to be a new model of T-boards coming out in Ma-" He was interrupted, but it was alright, since he was lying and all.  
  
"Heeey!" Selphie popped up, from the middle of no where it seemed, in front of the two male SeeDs. Squall had been expecting it, and only blinked at the spunky blob before him and continued with his walk. Zell, on the other hand, grabbed his chest and gasped for much needed air. "Apparently... Someone must be scared of something." Selphie watched Squall leave, but turned her attention back to Zell, since she was talking about him.  
  
"Wha? ...I'm not scared! ..You just... caught me off guard." Zell's voice seemed as if it squeaked when he spoke. He removed his hand from his chest and rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"Paranoid then?" Selphie retorted, smiling to hold back all that laughter inside.  
  
"Oh come on!" Zell looked around to see that Squall has left him behind. "Sel... I... ahh... Have to catch up with Squall. No way I can pass up free food." Pressing a button on his T-board, Zell dropped it to let it hover over the ground. Jumping up on it, he gave Selphie a pat on the head. "Gotta go. See ya!" With that, Zell took off, trying to catch up with Squall, who had gone quite a long way down the hallway.  
  
"Hmmm... He bought it." Selphie watched Zell leave before taking off in her own direction, toward the library. "What a dork." She spoke to herself and began to let out a thick laugh. 


	3. Dance With the Balambfish

Earlier in the day, Garden was near Trabia, but when Squall walked out to the front gate, he noticed they were back near Balamb. He could have been disappointed, knowing that he couldn't use the Ragnarok as a traveling device, but he didn't let it show. The only thing that was really on his mind, was why they were even near Trabia in the first place.  
  
Zell and Squall walked into Balamb City, tired and worn out. Of course, this was because Squall thought it might have been nice to get a little bit of exercise and talked Zell into walking to the city. It was dark out by the time the two had past the last forest closest to the city, but neither of them seemed to mind. Since Squall was the commander, he could slide with coming in after curfew and he could talk the gate keeper into allowing Zell to come in late as well.   
  
The walk there though, Squall didn't think he could make it with all the ranting Zell was going on with. Squall didn't speak a word other than 'uh-huh' whenever Zell asked a question or seemed as if he did ask one. Zell... was a different story. He was constantly talking about going to the different restaurants in Balamb. The one he seemed to mention the most was the ice cream parlor called Avondale. Just plan and simple, Avondale. He didn't know where the name came from -for once, something he didn't know- but he loved to go there because they served more than just ice cream; they served full course meals and they even had a gaming room fill with arcade games, and pool tables of that sort. A fun teenager hangout.   
  
Squall was leaning against the light pole out front the gas station when he realized one of the Garden vehicles parked in the alley way to his right. He didn't seem to show any real care for it though, being that it might be Cid, out for dinner. Glancing at it once more, Squall turned away to see if Zell was done talking to the receptionist at the Car Rental window. Zell knew everyone in this small city and always had to talk to them. It was all small talk, but it was something Zell was brought up to do... constantly.  
  
As soon as Squall looked over to him, Zell waved his hand, motioning for him to join him. Squall tilted his head to the side and pushed himself away from the pole to walk over to his ...friend. Zell had turned back to the young lady he was talking to and laughed loudly as Squall had reached them. He held out his hand and patted Squall on his back as he joined them. Squall only stood there, taking the taps to his back and wondered why it was taking them so long to go get some food.  
  
"This is one of my real close friends, Squall Leonhart. Ain't he cool?" Zell flashed one of his cheesy smiles at Squall and looked back at the girl in front of him. She simply nodded and tried to hold in her giggles.   
  
"It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. Leonhart. My name is Angela Morris. I'm a childhood friend of Zell's. In fact, I'm his neighbor... or used to be anyway." She giggled and politely waved at Squall. He only nodded in return. Squall didn't understand why Zell was introducing them, he would only forget her within the next day. Noticing a tad bit of anticipation, Angela looked at Zell and continued, "Oh, I think he's hungry, Zell. You should go get some food. I have to close up now anyway."   
  
"Oh really, you're closing? It's early, why are you closing now?" Zell placed his arms on the counter top of the window and waited for her reply.  
  
"It's not a weekend, so there aren't that many rentals going on at night. We close two hours earlier now, that way we won't loose money. You know what I mean?" Angela simply replied with a smile. "Now get off the counter, I have to close the window." Zell smiled and stepped back from the window.  
  
"Since you're closing, would you like to go with us to the Avondale place? I hear they are pretty slow tonight, so we might have the place to ourselves." Zell was quick to ask the question, as she was closing the window in a hurry.   
  
"Thank you for asking Zell, but I don't know if I can make it. I still have a lot of cleaning up to do at the house and I have to cook dinner for my father." Angela paused, hoping the fault in her voice would not be noticeable as she continued, "Since Mom passed, he's been really sick and doesn't like to have me out of the house unless I am at work. I'm sorry." She closed the window quickly and Zell only stood there, staring.  
  
"What's with you?" Squall noticed his loss of expression and had to ask, even if it wasn't any of his business. Yes, Rinoa had been working on him and his ways of communication in the past couple of months. Squall sometimes seemed to amaze even himself with how much he spoke now. And he *was* the first one to admit... that he was here because of other people.  
  
"Nothing." Zell blinked, looking away from the window and over to Squall. His face wasn't so pale anymore, but Squall could tell something was wrong. Although our young commander had been worn down a little, it was only a *little* and he still kept his distance at times. Therefore, he did not push that matter any further.  
  
"So, let's get going." Squall spoke up, leading the way down the cobblestone pathway, but turned around to look at Zell. "Where is this place again? I don't remember seeing it ever before." Squall lied. He had been in Balamb millions of times, on missions and training and all that other whatnot. Zell laughed at his comrades question and shook his head.  
  
"By that old coffee shop, where high school Drama Club members put on plays every Friday ...near the hotel." Zell stood beside Squall and pointed in the direction of the Balamb Hotel. "Down that way."   
  
"I know where the hotel is, you don't have to point it out." Squall swatted Zell's hand down and continued walking down the street. Zell followed and started talking about the wonderful noodles and sushi that they had there at Avondale and Squall only ignored him, lost in his own little world of thoughts.  
  
~*~  
  
"Come on girls! You only live once!" Selphie's voice chirped very loudly as she tugged on two petite arms in the girls dormitory hallway. Rinoa and Naomi were inside Naomi's room, trying their hardest not to laugh so loudly as Selphie was trying her hardest to drag them out and away from the door frame. Quistis stood not far off, out in the hallway, holding her right hand to her face, as if covering any sign of smiling and her inaudible giggles. A few of the other girls from across and down the hall had emerged to see what Selphie was up to this time. Of course, they had no clue *why* Selphie was pulling at the girls, but Quistis knew. Rinoa and Naomi also knew, or else ...why the resistance? Selphie and Quistis had been planning to get Naomi and Zell together for the longest time. They had also planned on getting Rinoa and Squall together as well. Finally, they were taking action, but Naomi didn't want to.  
  
"No, Selphie! I have to work on inventory for the snacks and things for the Library Committee! Seeeeeeeelphie!" Naomi was lying, yes, but she was too scared to confront Zell about anything... and that's exactly what Selphie had planned on doing tonight. Normally, Rinoa would be all for the 'match making' game that Selphie loved to put on, but Naomi had persuaded her otherwise, to be on *her* side instead of Selphie's.  
  
"Selphie Tilmitt!" Rinoa shouted, giggling hysterically. "Let us go, woman! We love our men, but we don't love them that much!" Selphie couldn't help but burst out laughing. This, in turn, caused her to release her grip on Naomi and Rinoa, causing her to fall back into the hallway. Soon enough, the small corridor erupted with laughter by the few girls standing around, even Selphie was laughing. Both Rinoa and Naomi held their hands to their mouths, giggling, after gasping 'Oh! Selphie are you alright?!' and running over to her aid. It was quite funny, even Selphie had to admit, but it really hurt her butt when she fell down on that cold, hard tile floor.  
  
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Selphie spoke between giggles as she took Rinoa and Naomi's outreached hands and guided herself to her feet. "Come on, you two. Please? I promise it will be fun." Selphie looked at them with the utmost adorable puppy dog eyes that certainly no one could resist. The two girls before Selphie glanced at each other before sighing in defeat. Quistis walked up to her three friends, having been far off laughing at the entire scene that had taken place only a moment earlier, and raised a hand, as if to ask a question. Her friends laughter had subsided - momentarily, for it would be back again before the end of the night - and they all nodded, as if to give her the 'go ahead' for what she had to say, and she put down her hand.  
  
"We've waited quite a long while for this night, girls. I can't wait to see you happily with Zell's arm around you, Naomi." Quistis smiled as she nodded toward her book nerd of a friend. "And Rinoa... I can't wait to see you and Squall holding hands and laughing about silly little things." She lied. Quistis wanted nothing more than to be Squall's ...one and only. The 'misunderstood' act was all something to hide her feelings from everyone... from herself.   
  
"Aww, that's so nice, Quisty." Selphie replied, pretending to get all teary-eyed and sniffling. Quistis laughed and pushed her arm a little bit, knowing Selphie was joking around. The four girls all laughed together in the hallway, all - or most - very happy by what they had planned for this evening. The rest of the girls in the hallway had returned to their rooms for the night, having no more entertainment in the hall.   
  
"Alright, let's get going. I hope you girls are hungry, because I know I am." Selphie grinned sheepishly. "I wish I could have gotten to you guys before you started eating in the Cafeteria. Why did you do and do hat anyway, Naomi? You knew we were going out tonight!" Selphie laughed some more, not really wanting her words to seem rude or mean. Naomi walked to her door and closed it, before turning to answer Selphie.  
  
"Well, I wasn't planning on going. I don't know what made me change my mind though. ...Zell doesn't like me. Come on, there's no way. I should just..." She trailed off. Naomi stopped talking and looked up to Selphie, Quistis, and Rinoa. "Come on, we'll be lucky if we get back here by curfew." With that said, she started walking down the hallway, the other three girls joining her.   
  
~*~*~  
  
"Not just the noodles and sushi are good here, Squall." Zell was still going on about the food as they reached the entrance to the Avondale ice cream parlor. "This place has great sweet tea. They also have some pretty good Cajun foods. Don't let the 'ice cream parlor' title fool you, man. Even though the ice cream is really good - the best maybe - the store just has it as a title to get more business. There aren't any other restaurants that sell ice cream in Balamb. Just Avondale. And since the climate here is always so warm--" Zell stopped, looking at his reflection in the tinted glass door. His T-Board... *WHERE'S MY T-BOARD?!* Zell started looking around frantically, as if he had lost it. "Oh man! Squall, I lost my T-Board."   
  
"I don't know what you did with it, but I am hungry. Forget about your T-Board. You can always buy another one." Squall shrugged and opened the door in front of him before walking inside, leaving Zell to worry on his own.   
  
"Man... this sucks." Zell put his hands in his pockets and paced around the front of the Avondale ice cream parlor, thinking about where he put it last. *I did put it down when a few monsters attacked us, but I remember picking it up. Even when we took a five minute break and just sat down and watched the stars for a little bit, I picked it up when we started back on the road...* Zell stopped and kneeled down quickly to punch the ground below him. "Frickin' hell!"   
  
Just then, Angela happened to be walking home from work and heard Zell shout. Looking down the road, she spotted him and giggled. *He hasn't changed at all. ...Silly boy.* Carrying a large piece of metal, that seemed like a surf board, in her arm, she continued her walk to the entrance of her home. *I wonder if he's angry because he realized he left this junk at the Car Rental.* Angela placed the T-Board down on the road and leaned it against her house as she walked down the steps to her door. She checked to see if it was locked and turned the knob. *Of course it's locked, you dummy.* She laughed softly before pulling out her keys and unlocking the door.   
  
Zell regained his composure and stood from his kneeling position on the ground. It was just one board, he could always get another one. Upon tuning to enter the ice cream parlor, he noticed movement down the street. Curious and having to know everything, Zell turned his head to see that it was Angela, trying to pick something up off the ground. He laughed and shook his head before walking toward her. *Still a weak little girl.*  
  
"Hey you! Vamp!" Zell called out to his long time friend. She looked up to him and waved, not really caring to comeback with some smooth old nickname of his that the kids use to call Zell to make fun of him. As he came closer, he realized that she had his T-Board and ran like mad to greet her. "Where did you find it! Oh my gosh! Ang!! You are SUCH a lifesaver!" As soon as he reacher her, he picked her up and hugged her tightly. Still holding on to her, he looked up at his - now taller - friend. Her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders and toward Zell, since she was looking down at him. She giggled at her friends actions, but then again, this was Zell. "I thought I left it over there. Thanks for grabbing it."  
  
"You're welcome, Zell." She laughed some more. "Now could you please put me down. I need to go inside." Taking in what his friend had said, Zell placed her back on her feet, kind of ashamed of what he had done in the first place. He was just so excited, it was like getting his T-Board for the first time.  
  
"Oh yeah, sorry." He let out a soft chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey... you sure you can't just come down there? I would really like it if you-" Angela placed her left index finger up to Zell's lips to hush him. She smiled, since he had halted his speech.  
  
"I'll try. Now get going. I'm sure Squall is waiting for you or something." She patted him on the arm and turned to go inside her house.   
  
"Don't make me have to ask your father if you can go." Zell stepped down the stairs to stand next to her in the small covered area in front of the closed door. He leaned toward her and placed his right hand on the wall behind Angela.  
  
"You know how much Dad hates you." She giggled and pushed his arm off the wall. "He would never let me go out with you."  
  
"He did once." Zell grinned, catching Angela off guard. "Remember?" Angela turned her head.  
  
"Yes, I remember." She found a sudden interest in the ground below her. Zell reached out his hand and grabbed her chin, guiding her face to look at him.   
  
"It's in the past, Ang. Don't worry about it." Zell patted her cheek before giving her a small kiss and opening the door for her, motioning for her to go inside. "You didn't hurt me that much. Hell, we're practically best friends now." Zell turned to walked inside after her, but stepped back up the stairs and grabbed his T-Board. "Almost forgot it again." He laughed and so did Angela as he closed the door behind him.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey, Turtle." Selphie popped up from - what seemed - out of no where and stepped beside Squall as he entered Avondale. The name just happened to stick in her head from earlier in the day, and Selphie's always teasing him, so why pass it up? Squall turned to greet her, but gave her a questioned look. She knew what he was wondering. "I got hungry for something other than hot-dogs and decided to drag the girls here. ...but if you're wondering where I came from just now-" She stopped and pointed to the restroom doors. "-I was in there."  
  
"...Oh. The girls? Does that mean Rinoa is here?" Squall couldn't help but scope the dinning area of the restaurant, not able to see any other rooms, save a door with 'GAME ROOM' written across it.  
  
"Yeah. Me, Rin-Rin, Quisty, and Naomi." Selphie put her arms behind her back as Squall looked at her again.  
  
"Why did you need all of them? It's not like you were going to be attacked or anything. You *did* take one of the Garden vans." Squall propped his left hand on his hip as he watched the girls eyes widen.  
  
"How'd you know that? I didn't think you guys would think we were here."   
  
"...'You guys'? Selphie, it's just me standing here." Squall turned around to see if Zell or some other guy they knew from Garden was standing around him.  
  
"Oh, well..." Selphie looked away, thinking how to get herself out of this. She looked back up, remembering seeing them in the hall at Garden. "Sorry. Umm... Where's Zell? I thought he was with you?" Squall raised an eyebrow a her and shrugged.  
  
"I left him outside because he though-" Just then, their conversation was halted by a 'Frickin' Hell!' being yelled right outside the doors. Squall and Selphie looked at the door and then to each other. "Where's the girls? I think we should go sit with them." Selphie giggled and wrapped her arm around Squall's, dragging him toward the -clearly stated- game room.   
  
"Why, I thought you'd never ask. They are in here playing Galica and seeing who can get the highest score. I should be up next, but you can have my turn." The few teens sitting at the tables the two were passing by, stared at them. Selphie didn't seem to care and Squall didn't either, but he did take note of it. She didn't.   
  
Selphie reached out her free hand and touched the door to open it, but paused and looked at Squall.   
  
"Squall... Don't blow it this time, okay?" Squall hadn't the faintest clue as to what she meant by that, but he listened to her nonetheless. Selphie untangled their arms - but managed to grab him before he could try to take off - and pushed open the door, pulling him inside.   
  
It was very loud inside the gameroom. There were three Dance Dance Remix machines -things Squall seemed to find rather annoying most of the time- and car racing games, like Cruisin World and tons of the old timer games, like Galica and Pac-man. Squall didn't have a chance to get away. The death grip Selphie had on his arm was impossible to get out of. So, he just followed her lead, not really caring where they went.   
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hahaaha! My boy, you haven't changed at all." Angela's father, Li Morris, laughed forcefully as Zell had been telling him about a very strange SeeD mission he had not to long ago. The two men were sitting in the 'living' room and Angela was in the kitchen, cooking dinner.  
  
"Well, thanks? Mr. Morris-" Zell began, but was cut off sharply.  
  
"See? You're still calling me by my last name." He chuckled. "Call me Li, son. Li! Nothing else." Zell tilted his head a little to the side, wondering what had changed this man so much. He used to hate Zell. That's mostly the reason why Angela had to break off their relationship they had so long ago. The blonde looked into the kitchen, as if to see if she was still there, then looked back to Li.  
  
"Heh-heh, Li. Can I ask you something?" Zell smiled, when Li nodded in agreement, and leaned forward, clasping his hands together and propping his elbows on his knees. "I'm in town for dinner tonight with a friend. I was wondering if I could steal Angela away from you for an hour or so, to eat out. Of course, after she's finished cooking and cleaning." Li contemplated this thought, looking toward the kitchen every so often and tracing his beard with his left-hand digits before turning back to Zell. The old man smiled.  
  
"Of course, I wouldn't mind." Li erupted wit a hearty laugh before continuing, "The girl never gets out of the house much anymore. Always saying she has to take care of her dear old father since-- well, you know. She needs a little fun every now and then. With you my boy, she could have a lifetime of fun in an hour!" Li laughed again. Looking at his watch, he noted it was only six-thirty and looked up at Zell, who was... missing now? *Where did that dear boy go?* He glanced around the room for Zell before standing and walking into the next room where he could see the kitchen. Yet, there he stood, next to Angela as she cooked. The two were talking, Zell pointing at the food on the stove and making disgusted faces before being hit swiftly with a wooden spoon on the arm.  
  
"Oh hey! Come on, ya know I was kiddin' right?" Zell laughed, but Angela didn't look too thrilled, as she was trying hard to cook without being distracted. Zell *certainly* was a distraction to her. Again, Angela playfully hit him with the wooden spoon and laughed. "Oh, so it's war you want, huh?! Two can play that game." Zell grabbed a wooden spoon and held it out in front of him, adjusting himself into a fighting stance. Angela did that same. "On guard!"   
  
Angela and Zell began clashing the wooden utensils together as if they were little children playing a pretend game of sword fighting. Both of the teenagers were laughing, not caring if they ran into anything in the house. Li only chuckled at the two, and retreated to his chambers on the second floor.   
  
The battle continued, Zell had the upper hand, leading Angela into the entry room of the house. These two were just adorable. Each and every time the spoons clashed, their laughter would increase. Angela couldn't help but stop and laugh as Zell advanced on her. Her laughter couldn't help but make her cry and Angela closed her eyes to contain the tears as she stopped dead in her tracks. Upon advancing, Zell ran into her, not expecting the sudden halt, and knocked her back. Yet, Zell tried to catch his balance, -as well as hers- but being the klutz he is, put his leg behind Angela's, causing them both to fall toward the hardwood floor.   
  
However, Zell was skilled -he is a SeeD after all- and dropped his weapon to cautiously grab Angela's arms firmly and spin to their left, holding her just above the floor. They laughed even more at this, before Zell brought her back to stand on her own two feet. Their laughter soon faded to simple giggles and chuckles as Zell picked up his weapon and took Angela's from her hand.  
  
"Remember when we were kids, how we used to pretend like we were at a royal ball, far away in some fairy tale land where nothing could ever go wrong?" Angela inquired, as Zell walked across the room to place the wooden spoons on a side table. Angela stayed where he left her, as he returned to answer her question.  
  
"Sorta... Yeah? You've gotta remember that I've had to junction GFs while on missions. I forget some things..." Zell took Angela's left hand in his right and wrapped his left arm around her waist, watching their joined hands as he did so. There was no more giggling or any sound of laughter. Silence filled the air. "...but only some." He finished, looking up to his childhood friend in front of him, and smiled.  
  
"So you *do* remember, I take it?" Angela placed her right arm around his neck and closed her left hand around his right. As if a signal, Zell began to lead her gracefully around the room, spinning endlessly, yet at a pace one could not make themselves dizzy. He stopped momentarily, removing his arm from around Angela and spinning her away from him. She laughed, stretching her arms out as wide as she could, and spun back toward him. Having fault in her step, she crashed right into Zell, but he made up for it and placed his arm in it's previous position -around her waist- and before 'dipping' her.  
  
"Yeah... how could I forget?" He laughed at his own comment, holding Angela just barely two feet from the floor. She couldn't help but laugh as well.   
  
"Well, I-" She stopped, both her laughter and her speech, catching a strange scent in the air. *Oh no...* The two looked toward the kitchen, only to see a cloud of black smoke emerging from the oven.   
  
"Oh shit... the fish!" Zell shouted, his laughter only increasing. 


End file.
